Left Behind
by Danny vs A Month
Summary: What if Wakka had gone through with his original plan to leave Tidus behind in Luca? Would it change Tidus's fate? Would it have changed anyone's?
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Final Fantasy X or any of the characters.

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Abandoned

Tidus stared at Auron's back as Auron walked away. They were gone. All of them. After the game, after Tidus had suffered a dislocated left shoulder and a bruised ribcage, not one rib, the entire ribcage, gaining the Besaid Aurochs a one point lead, and allowing Wakka to come back into the gain and earn them another two points. After he had helped Wakka win his last Blitzball game. After helping Wakka and Auron defend Luca from the fiends, at least up until Seymore just killed them all with his Aeon. After fighting multiple Sin Spawn and countless Fiends in order to protect Yuna. After saving Yuna from the Al Bhed. Even after all he had done for them, all of it without any real complaint, and without being asked, they had left him behind. No goodbye. No thank you. Not even a go away. They had just left while he was resting from his injuries.

Tidus kicked a rock beside him. Sure, he hadn't been the perfect companion. He had gone into that first temple's Cloister of Trials without permission, and had been in the second as well. But that second one wasn't even his fault. It was that slut Dona's fault, since she had her guardian throw him in. And besides, nothing had had happened to them because of it. No one had even noticed he was there. And yet, still they left. Auron too. He had stayed long enough to say he was Yuna's new guardian, and that they were gone. Then he had walked away too. Tidus wanted to follow, but for what purpose? They had left him. They had abandoned him. When he had overheard Lulu talking to Wakka about his plan to leave him behind in Luca, he hadn't actually expected they to do it. Besides, hadn't they also said they thought he should be Yuna's guardian too?

He turned back to the path away from the city. Auron was only a speck now, and shrinking rapidly. He really was leaving him behind too. The one person who knew what happened to Jecht. At least, if his claim that Jecht had somehow become Sin was to be believed. But then, if it was, didn't that mean that Yuna was trying to kill Jecht? Tidus shouted in frustration and annoyance, kicking another rock, this one bouncing off of a railing nearby and clattering down the stairs. Fuck them. Fuck all of them. Fuck his old man. Fuck Wakka. Fuck Lulu. Fuck Yuna. big time fuck Khimahri, the moody, furry bastard. And fuck Auron. Especially fuck Auron. Tidus hoped a Fiend killed him. no, better. Tidus hoped a Fiend laid eggs inside of him and those eggs hatched, then the babies slowly ate their way out of him, devouring him from the inside out until-

"Could you have a mental breakdown somewhere else?" a voice asked, snapping him out of his fantasy about tiny monsters slowly eating Auron from the inside out.

Tidus grimaced as he suddenly became aware of the stabbing pain in his right hand, and the blood on the ground. He had been punching it. He sighed, sitting back on his feet and looking up at the woman that had interrupted him. She was about a year younger than him, give or take, and about his height with short white-silver hair, the top longer than the sides but sticking up in a messy style, a black leather poncho with the top folding down to expose her shoulders, elbow-length black gloves, black shorts, black, thigh-high stockings, high-heeled boots, a silver cross over her heart to hold the poncho closed, a black belt with a skull on the front, a black choker, a necklace with a skull pendant on a silver barbed wire for a chain, and a large, single-edged sword with a skull at the base of the blade and no guard, similar to Auron's sword. She was pretty, Tidus supposed, but she was also looking at him like he was the current bane of her existence, of which, he was sure, there were many.

"Who are you?" Tidus asked.

She stared at him for a long while. "Are you going to get out of my way so that I can pass, or do I have to move you myself?"

Tidus's eyes flicked to the sword again before he nodded, standing and leaning against the railing. She kept walking, passing Tidus in silence before stopping at the top and looking back at him.

"You should get your hand looked at," she said. "You broke a couple of the bones, and you're bleeding all over your shoes."

"Yeah," Tidus said. "Thanks. I will."

She made a noncommittal noise and kept walking. Tidus sighed, heading back down into the city and walking to the water, dunking his hand, then his feet, washing the blood off his shoes before sitting there and watching his blood drip from his hand into the water, only to disperse and fade in a few seconds. It was odd the analogies his brain came up with when he was in a bad mood. In this case, he saw his life as the droplets of blood, and Sin as the water. One second his life was perfectly fine, and then Sin was introduced, and in seconds, his life was so completely ripped apart and dissected, that it was completely unrecognizable. What was he going to do? How could he get back to a city that had been destroyed for hundreds of years? How could he go home, if his home didn't exist anymore? Or, maybe...maybe Sin's toxin really _had_ affected him. What if he _wasn't_ from Zanarkand? What if he never had been? Had he even been on an Al Bhed ship before rescuing Yuna? had he ever _actually_ fought Sin? And what about Rikku? Was she real?

"What appears to be the trouble my generous friend?" O'aka asked, walking up behind him. "Oh my, that looks rather painful. Here. I have just the thing. Consider it a gift for your generous donations."

Tidus looked back at him as O'aka held out a bottle. He sighed, accepting it and O'aka removed the stopper for him, allowing him to drink it. He coughed. It burned his throat, and then the burning sensation traveled downward, stabbing outward at his ribs, then to his left shoulder and down his right arm to his knuckles. He groaned, clutching at his chest as the burning intensified before fading slowly. As it finished, he felt his ribs gingerly, realizing they no longer hurt. Neither did his hand. His skin was healed, and so were the bones, though his shoulder was still stiff and hurt to move.

"Amazing," he breathed. "Thank you."

"I guess I should have given you something stronger," O'aka mused.

"Don't worry about that," Tidus smiled. "Thanks for the help." His smile faded slowly. "Although, I still don't know...No, it's nothing. Thanks for the help. Is there a hotel or an inn or something around here?"

"Yes Sir," O'aka nodded. "Just over that way."

"Thanks," Tidus said, following the direction he had pointed. He pushed the door open and walked over to the counter. "One room please."

"I'm sorry," the woman grimaced. "The Crusaders just booked the last of the rooms. We're all full."

"Oh," Tidus sighed. "Alright."

"I'm sorry," the woman said. "I wish you luck."

"Thanks," Tidus said, raising a hand and walking out of the building. As he did, he glanced out at one of the ports and stopped.

It couldn't be. There was a ship in the port that was identical to the one he had thought he met Rikku on. But, that hadn't been real, right? Or, maybe it was? But what about Zanarkand? He shook his head. That didn't matter. If Rikku was here, maybe she could tell him what he should do. Maybe he could go with them again. He hurried toward the ship but stopped as several Al Bhed stepped out in front of him, two of them with some kind of long barrel-like weapon with a handle and a small hook at the bottom. One of them spoke harshly in Al Bhed and Tidus sighed. He had found several books that taught how to read and write in Al Bhed, and he was slowly learning, but that did nothing for him being able to actually speak the language.

"Look, I don't speak that language," Tidus said. "Please, I just want to know if there's someone named Rikku on that ship."

The Al Bhed all looked around at each other before levelling their weapons at him, again shouting at him in Al Bhed. Tidus sighed heavily, resting his face in his right hand. Apparently common sense didn't translate well to Al Bhed. One of them shouted again, then raised his machina weapon so that a wooden piece on the back end was against his shoulder, only for Rikku to suddenly appear from behind Tidus, shoving the weapon to the side, the Al Bhed all stopping, lowering their weapons as she spoke to them in Al Bhed. After a moment, they all relaxed a bit as she turned to him.

"It's good to see you're okay," Rikku smiled. "I thought Sin killed you for sure."

"I was worried the same happened to you," Tidus said.

"You were worried about me?" Rikku asked, somewhere between teasing and surprised.

"W-Well, yeah," Tidus said. "I'd hate to think you were killed after saving my life."

She smiled and nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I...I don't really know anymore," Tidus said. "I _was_ traveling with a summoner named Yuna, and her guardians, and I _thought_ I was going to be a guardian too, but then they just up and abandoned me."

Rikku watched him quietly for a moment before speaking choosing her words carefully. "Would you...like to see them again?"

"What do you mean?" Tidus asked.

"Well...we've been looking for Yuna," Rikku said. "We're...supposed to stop her from completing her pilgrimage."

"Why?" Tidus asked.

"I'm sorry," Rikku said. "I can't say. Not yet. But...just believe me when I say it's for the best."

"How is allowing Sin to continue destroying the world for the best?" Tidus asked. "What, you want more people's memories scrambled by Sin's toxins, like mine?"

"Scrambled?" Rikku asked. "You mean, you're not from Zanarkand?"

"How could I be?" Tidus asked. "Zanarkand's been destroyed for a thousand years, right? my memories are just the result of Sin's toxin. They have to be. So I don't even know who I am anymore."

Rikku is silent for a long moment. "That's...too bad. I really wanted to see your home someday."

Tidus stared at her for a long moment before sighing. "So, why is stopping Yuna for the best?"

Rikku is silent for a long while before speaking, just as carefully as before. "You were told...Yuna's pilgrimage would...stop Sin, right?"

"Yeah," Tidus nodded. "Is that not true?"

"Well...it _is_ true, sort of," Rikku said. "But...think of it like this. Summoner Braska completed his Pilgrimage. And there was one before him. And one before that one. And so on, and so forth. And yet, despite all of them completing their pilgrimages, Sin's still here."

"So...the pilgrimage...only stops Sin for a little while?" Tidus asked.

"Yes," Rikku nodded. "But...there's more to it. I'm sorry, that's all I can say."

Tidus nodded, then sighed. "Well, they left me behind, so I don't really know what else to do with myself. And stopping them will pay them back for leaving me behind. I'll willing to help if you're still willing to have me."

Rikku's face lit up and she nodded excitedly. "Yes!"

Tidus chuckled and nodded. Rikku turned and spoke to the others briefly, none of them looking pleased, then led Tidus onto the ship. Unlike last time, she took him below deck this time, to the captain's cabin, where she spoke to an older Al Bhed. After a few minutes, he sighed heavily.

"Rikku says you are a skilled fighter, and are willing to help us," the captain said in a thick Al Bhed accent.

"Yes sir," Tidus said. "Or, well, the second one. I could still use some work with the first."

Rikku jabbed him in the ribs and the captain chuckled.

"Well, at least you're not cocky," the captain said. "That'll get you killed. You're that boy who helped us before, right? And against Sin?"

"That's right," Tidus nodded. "I'm glad you all survived."

"Indeed," the captain nodded. "We were quite sure you had not. You may have a room this time, however, only if one of the others will allow you to share. We don't have any spares."

"Oh," Tidus said, his small amount of joy at not having to sleep on deck fading as his hope came crashing back down.

"We'll figure something out," Rikku said reassuringly.

"After that greeting earlier, I doubt it," Tidus sighed. "Oh well. Better than staying here."

Rikku nodded and they thanked the captain before leaving. Rikku began to ask around, but all that happened was that Tidus learned how to say no, and probably a few curse words, in Al Bhed. Finally, Rikku sighed, walking back to Tidus.

"I'm guessing it didn't go so well," Tidus said.

"I'm sure they'll come around," Rikku said, seeming to be trying to convince herself as much as him. "And anyway, we're not out of options."

"We're not?" Tidus asked.

"Nope," Rikku smiled. "You can just stay with me."

"What!?" Tidus gaped, staring at her, wide-eyed.

"Well would you rather sleep on the deck again?" Rikku asked.

"Well...no, but," Tidus trailed off. "Uh...alright, I guess."

"Just don't get any funny ideas," Rikku said, poking him in the nose. "I'm only being nice."

"Understood," Tidus said. "No funny business. Promise."

Rikku nodded and led him through the ship to her room. It was a mess. The blankets looked like they'd been thrown across the room, clothes, maybe dirty, maybe clean, most soaking wet, lay strewn across the floor, to include her undergarments, and there was a layer of dust on everything not covered by either bedding or clothes.

"Uh...did you go through a storm or something?" Tidus asked, trying to give her an excuse for the state of the room.

"No," Rikku said, beginning to pick up her clothes and drop them in the corner, despite their being an empty basket ten feet beside her. "Sorry for the mess, but if you complain you're going back to the deck."

"I love the decorations," Tidus said with exaggerated enthusiasm. "It's absolutely amazing."

Rikku stuck her tongue out at him and he chuckled, pulling her bedding back onto her bed for her. After a few more minutes, the room was cleanish, probably as clean as it would get, and Rikku sat on the bed.

"So, what have you been up to?" Rikku asked, patting the bed beside her.

Tidus sat and began to tell her about his travels since they last met. Rikku seemed extremely impressed when he claimed to have fought Sin Spawn successfully, and also seemed a bit jealous when he talked about playing in the Blitzball tournament, though she was sympathetic about his injuries, asking if his shoulder hurt much. She also apologized for the Al Bhed Psyches attacking him, though he assured her he didn't mind, since no one was hurt. Finally, he finished his story with the others abandoning him and Rikku seemed to get angry on his behalf, ranting for a few minutes about how rude the others were. Tidus laughed.

"What!?" Rikku snapped.

"You're acting like it was you they ditched," Tidus laughed.

Rikku blushed. "Sorry."

"So, your turn," Tidus say. "Tell me about you. I've told you all about me. Now it's your turn."

"Well...what do you want to know?" Rikku asked.

"Everything," Tidus said. "Tell me about your home, and about the Al Bhed, and about you personally. I really only know your ethnicity and name."

Rikku smiled and nodded, sitting beside him again after pacing during her rant. They spent the next several hour talking about everything from Rikku's home, to her dreams for the future, Rikku always being careful to avoid subjects relating to Yuna or Sin. Tidus allowed it, deciding not to press his luck. After a while, they felt the ship pull away from port and headed up to the deck, watching the port shrink as they left it behind.

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	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Final Fantasy X or any of the characters.

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Saved

The damage was beyond horrible. Countless Crusaders and Al Bhed dead in moments. Sin hadn't even been scratched. It was all pointless. Tidus was hoping that when the captain said they'd be watching the operation, he'd see them make even a little bit of a mark on Sin, but they did nothing but be slaughtered. Yuna and the others had made it out okay, fortunately, with the help of Seymore, but the Crusaders were massacred.

"It's horrible," Rikku breathed, watching the beach as Sin swam away. "So many lives lost."

"It's not really surprising, is it?" Tidus asked. "I mean, it _ is_ Sin. If killing it was that easy, it'd be dead by now, right?"

"I guess," Rikku said. "Still though."

Tidus nodded. There were no words for this. How do you express the sorrow, hopelessness, and fear of watching a monster that used to be your father wipe hundreds of people from the face of the planet in an instant? What do you say to that? What _can_ you say? Tidus shook his head and sighed, raising his right hand to his left shoulder.

"We should probably get out of here," Tidus said. "There's probably Sin Spawn around."

Rikku nodded in agreement, and the captain seemed to share their sentiment, because in a few minutes, they were leaving the area behind. He fell silent, watching the continent drift past. Still he remained silent. As they drifted, Al Bhed came and went, mostly ignoring him. However, after a bit, Rikku leaned beside him again. She watched him worriedly for a minute before speaking.

"What're you thinking about?" she asked.

"I...I don't know if...if my memories are real or just because of Sin," Tidus said. "I'm...almost afraid to find out who I really am."

"You're you," Rikku said. "You're exactly who you've always been, and that's all that matters."

"I don't know if..." Tidus trailed off, then sighed. "You're probably right."

Rikku sighed, wrapping her arms around him. "Come on. Cheer up. Is it really so bad to be spending time with a pretty girl like me?"

Tidus chuckled. "I suppose not." He looked to shore, seeing several Fiends attacking the girl in black he had seen before. "Hey, I know her!"

Rikku followed his gaze and gasped just as the girl killed two of the bat-like Fiends that populated this area, only for a hornet to sting her. She staggered to the edge of the cliff and collapsed as two dual-horns and a Basilisk closed in on her.

"What's a Basilisk doing here?" Rikku asked.

"Forget that!" Tidus said. "We have to help her!"

Rikku hesitated before nodding. "Okay. Let's go."

Rikku dove off of the ship and Tidus took a deep breath.

"Hey!" he shouted, the girl glancing at him. "Jump!"

She hesitated, a fair reaction given she was about thirty feet up, wounded, poisoned, and there were jagged rocks at the bottom. However, before she could make her decision, one of the Dual-Horns made it for her. It tackled her off of the cliff and as they fell, it bit into her shoulder. She screamed, slashing it across the abdomen and getting it to release her, then pushed off of it, allowing it to crash down on a rock and die while she splashed down into the water, sinking fast. Rikku reached her in seconds, pulling her back to the surface just as Tidus reached them. Suddenly, fish-type fiends, like those that attacked Tidus and Wakka in Luca, began to jump around them. Tidus dove under, focusing and channeling his magical energy into the provoking spell he had learned during one of the fights against a Sin Spawn to get it to leave Yuna alone. The good news was, the spell worked and the fish all charged him. Unfortunately, the bad news was, the spell worked and the fish _all_ charged him. He slashed as quickly as he could, Brotherhood splitting the fish rapidly, killing them almost as fast as they attacked him. Almost. Every few seconds, a fish would get through and would bite him, or slash him with its razor-sharp fins. He ignored the pain, continuing to fight them. Above him, Rikku was swimming the girl they were trying to save toward the ship.

Tidus began to work his way after them, fighting his way out of the cloud of fish before swimming as fast as he could with only one arm, which was holding a sword. A fish caught up after only a couple seconds and bit down on his leg. He killed it, pulling his leg free just in time for two more fish to bite into the sides of his ribs. Tidus shouted in pain, then again as one bit into his left shoulder, but before he could try to kill them, Rikku reached him, using a set of short claws attached to a metal band around her right hand to kill the three fish before grabbing Tidus by the midriff and swimming up toward the ship. A fish charged at them from behind and Tidus slashed it. Then, they broke the surface and several Al Bhed hauled them onto the ship's deck before firing down into the water, killing several fish and forcing the rest to scatter. The ship began to move again and Tidus groaned, sitting against a crate as he caught his breath.

"Thanks Rikku," Tidus said.

"You're too impulsive," Rikku said. "What if that spell had gotten you killed?"

Tidus shrugged. "I was more concerned with your safety."

Rikku blushed slightly and huffed, pushing a healing potion into his hand. "Drink. I have to go tend to our latest stray."

Tidus nodded, drinking and sighing in relief as the potion caused a cooling sensation, unlike whatever O'aka had given him, and healed both his new wounds, and his shoulder. He looked over at the girl they had saved, watching Rikku carefully give her a potion as well to heal the bite, then inject an antidote into her arm.

"Is she going to be okay?" Tidus asked.

"She should be fine," Rikku said. "With some rest. You'll have to stay up here again for a bit. She needs a bed."

"That's fine," Tidus said. "I don't mind. Besides, maybe she can teach me to use a sword better."

"Maybe," Rikku nodded. "I'm going to take her down to my room. I'll be back up in a bit, alright?"

"Sure," Tidus nodded.

Rikku left, helping another Al Bhed carry the girl below deck. As she did, Tidus stared at the clouds. It was a fairly nice day, despite everything. The sun was warm, the clouds were fluffy and white, and there was a gentle breeze. Tidus felt himself starting to drift toward sleep and pushed himself up, stretching. He picked up his sword and began to practice it, picturing the different monsters he'd fought as he worked through different strikes. He may have never had any kind of real training, but he _was_ a quick study, so he wasn't a horrible fighter. After about an hour, the girl they had saved stepped into the path of his strike, blocking his blade with her own, slipping it under the small hook-like prong in the front and spinning, ripping the blade out of his hands and then swinging it around and pinning it to the ground.

"Nice!" Tidus grinned, then frowned. "But, I thought you were supposed to be resting."

"I am," she said. "But I wanted to thank you for saving me in person. And as thanks, I'll give you a tip. I wouldn't have been able to take your sword from you if you had enough common sense to not hold it backward."

She turned, walking away and Tidus stared at her, then at the sword. He picked it up, holding it as he normally would for a moment, then turned it around. Suddenly, the metal piece that usually got in the way of his forearm and made slashing a bit awkward became a finger guard, and the hook that sometimes caught on the Fiends he attacked if he hit too low on the blade was on the back, out of the way. He slapped his forehead.

"You jerks let me hold it backward all this time?" Tidus groaned. "Great. Now I feel like an idiot."

"Well, you could just pretend you were giving yourself a handicap," Rikku suggested from behind him.

Tidus turned to her and grimaced. "You never said anything either, you know."

"I thought maybe it made it easier to use in the water," Rikku shrugged. "Or that's the way it was supposed to be. I've never seen a sword like that."

"I guess," Tidus sighed, staring at the blade. "You know, this sword belonged to Wakka's brother. I should probably return it to him the next time I see him."

"What would you use?" Rikku asked.

Tidus shrugged. "I could just buy a new sword."

Rikku hummed thoughtfully. "You could always use a machina."

"Nah," Tidus said. "Not my thing. I'll stick to swords."

"Alright," Rikku nodded. "Anyway, we should reach the Moonflow by tomorrow. We'll be using a machina to catch Yuna there."

"Auron's with her," Tidus said. "He's not going to be an easily defeated opponent. Some machina's not going to phase him."

"Well, can Auron fight under water?" Rikku asked.

"No," Tidus said. "At least, not that I've ever seen. I think the only one they've got that can do that is Wakka."

"I see," Rikku nodded. "Then there shouldn't be a problem. We can beat one guy. And then you can give him back the sword."

"I suppose so," Tidus nodded.

Rikku smiled and hopped up to sit on a crate, Tidus sitting on one beside her. "So, what do you want to do until we get tot he Moonflow?"

Tidus thought for a long couple of moments. "Would you mind teaching me to speak Al Bhed? I've been learning to read it using Al Bhed Primers, but I still can't speak it."

"You really want to learn?" Rikku asked.

"Well, yeah," Tidus nodded. "It'd make it a lot easier to be around the rest of the guys on the ship, and it might get them off my back." He ducked his head slightly. "Plus...I want to...be able to relate to you more."

Rikku blushed slightly but smiled and nodded. Then, she dove headfirst into the first lesson, continuing well into the night before wishing him sweet dreams and heading inside. Tidus sighed, massaging his temples as his brain struggled to memorize everything he had learned and file it away where it wouldn't get data dumped. Eventually he drifted off to sleep.

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	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Final Fantasy X or any of the characters.

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Unpleasant Reunion

Tidus yawned as he stretched. It was an early morning, and the machina they were taking was only a one-person vehicle. Rikku was piloting it, so Tidus would be swimming as protection. Which meant that there would be no question that he had turned against them. He sighed. Might as well accept it. Besides, it was there fault. They had left him behind when all he wanted to do was help. And was injured doing so.

"Are you ready?" Rikku asked.

"Yeah," Tidus nodded. "Just...trying to figure out what I'm going to say."

"I'm sure it'll be okay," Rikku said. "If you want, I can yell at Yuna for it once we get her."

"Let's just go," Tidus sighed. "We're not going to stop anything sitting around here talking about me being mad I got ditched."

"Wait," a voice said from the doorway, both turning to see the girl they had rescued walking over. "I'm coming."

"No," Rikku said flatly. "You're still resting. You haven't recovered yet."

"I'm fine," the girl said.

"How long can you hold your breath?" Tidus asked.

The girl scoffed and a light shot up from her feet, forming into a seal over her before sinking, her clothes changing as the seal passed over her. As the seal faded below her, it left her in a silver bikini top with a skirt consisting of a black cloth belt and a long piece of dark blue cloth hanging in the front and behind her, and in place of her sword, she now had a set of gauntlets with fin-shaped blades on the backs of her forearms and with blade-like fingers. There was also a set of gills on the sides of her neck, and her toes were webbed. She dove into the water and turned, watching them with a raised eyebrow. Tidus looked to Rikku and shrugged. Rikku returned the gesture and climbed into her machina while Tidus dove in after the girl.

"My name's Paine, by the way," the girl said, her voice distorted by the voice, though understandable. "You're Tidus, right?"

Tidus nodded. A moment later, Rikku's machina was dropped into the water by a crane. It looked a lot like the Blitzball-launching machina the Al Bhed Psyches had used to try to fight him in Luca, but instead of a Blitzball launcher on the top, there were three ribbed spikes that Rikku had called barrier generators. She said they'd create a barrier around Yuna to keep her restrained while also keeping the water out so she could breathe.

"Grab on and we'll go," Rikku's voice said, barely making it through the water understandably.

Tidus and Paine both grabbed onto one of the spikes and the three legs on the bottom of the machina began to spin, the machina leaning forward and speeding through the water, pulling the other two with it. They travelled quickly, heading up the Moonflow, a river that apparently was filled with pyre flies at night, for a while, Rikku only stopping every couple minutes to let Tidus catch his breath before continuing. Finally, they stopped as they found a sunken city, and a massive creature swimming across the river above it. Tidus pointed at it and Paine rolled her eyes.

"That's a shoopuf," Paine said. "Don't you know anything?"

Tidus managed a one-armed shrug as an Al Bhed, who had been following them with a small, hand-held machina that looked like rounded cones with two handles on the sides and a tunnel through the middle with a propeller to pull them through the water, moved to swim up at the shoopuf. He burst out of the water, and a moment later, he returned with Yuna in his arms. He swam quickly, and reached Rikku's Machina in seconds, shoving Yuna into the middle of the three spikes. Instantly, a transparent sphere of light appeared around her and the water inside was forced out. Yuna gasped for breath and looked around at Tidus, hurt and confusion in her eyes.

"Why?" Yuna asked, her voice not reaching him, but her question obvious.

Tidus turned away from her, looking up toward the shoopuf as Wakka swam down toward them, only to stop, staring at Tidus incredulously. He pointed at Tidus, fury in his eyes, and Tidus narrowed his eyes. _He_ was angry? Him? The guy who had been the one to decide to abandon him? No. He didn't get to be angry. He raised his free hand, flipping Wakka off, and Wakka hurled his Blitzball.

Tidus batted it aside with his sword and swam up at Wakka, who moved to meet him. when they reached each other, Tidus swung his sword around, slamming the flat of his blade into the side of Wakka's head, only for Wakka to drill a punch into Tidus's gut. Tidus grunted, losing some of his air and dropping the sword. He punched Wakka in the jaw, and Wakka kicked him in the head. Tidus flipped, kicking Wakka in the top of the left shoulder, then pushed off of him and flipped the other way, his other foot swinging around and crashing into the underside of Wakka's jaw. Wakka drifted away, dazed, and several fish-type Fiends swam at them, only for Paine to intercept them, her claws and fins tearing them apart in seconds, the Fiends all fading into pyre flies seemingly at the same time.

Tidus turned back to Wakka, just as Wakka's fist broke his nose. He shouted in pain, then again as Wakka's foot connected between his legs. He caught Wakka's foot and dragged him down so his face was within reach. Then, he began to punch him. After four, Wakka blocked one and grabbed Tidus's shirt, dragging him forward into a headbutt. Tidus slammed a knee into Wakka's groin, then another into his gut and Wakka began to choke, clutching at his throat. Tidus grabbed Wakka instantly and swam upward hard. However, his mercy proved a mistake, because Wakka stopped his act instantly and punched Tidus's already wounded manhood directly twice before kicking his legs and swinging his arms downward, sending his head crashing into Tidus's face as Tidus bent forward. Though, it wasn't a perfect strike, since doing so sent his head into a cloud of Tidus's vomit.

Wakka kicked off of Tidus to escape the vomit, barely holding his own stomach's contents in, only for Paine to shoot forward, drilling her metal fist into his gut and knocking him out instantly. She grabbed him by the throat and shot through the water to Tidus, who was barely clinging to consciousness as he had run out of breath finally, then shot upward. She breached the surface into a soaring jump, dropping Wakka back into the shoopuf's passenger seat before beginning to fall. Tidus gasped in as much air as he could before they plunged back into the water and Paine dragged him down to Rikku's machina. The moment they reached it and were both holding onto one of the spikes, Rikku piloted herself downward to the ruin, entering a tower and then rising through a hole in one of the floors into an air pocket.

She surfaced enough for Paine and Tidus to climb onto the floor, then lowered Yuna's barrier. Tidus offered her his hand, but she batted it aside, walking past them both before the top of the machina opened. Rikku, unlike Yuna, accepted Tidus's offered hand and climbed out, handing him his lost sword as she did.

"Thanks," Tidus said, looking to Yuna. "Are you alright Yuna?"

"No!" Yuna snapped. "I'm not alright! You kidnapped me! _You_! I thought we were friends! I thought you and _Wakka_ were friends! How could you betray us like this!?"

"Betray you?" Tidus scoffed. "_Me_? How could I have betrayed you!? You all abandoned me in Luca! I saved you, then got my ass beaten trying to win that game for Wakka, then while I'm resting, you all just took off! I'm not betraying _anyone_! If anything, _you_ all betrayed _me_!"

Yuna covered her mouth, eyes wide. "But...Wakka said you chose to stay behind. And...Sir Auron said he gave you the choice to follow him, but you didn't."

Tidus scoffed, turning away. Wakka was a bold-faced liar, but Auron was technically correct. Tidus _could_ have followed. But he was too butt-hurt about being left behind to. And he was too mad that he was being accused of being at fault to accept the truth in her words now.

"I guess your trusted guardians aren't so trustworthy after all," Tidus said, walking over to sit on a rock off to the side. "Hell, they couldn't even protect you."

Yuna was silent for a long moment before bowing, doing her usual prayer hand gesture. "I'm so sorry for abandoning you in Luca. I had no idea. I truly wanted you to be my guardian."

"Oh well," Tidus shrugged. "Too late for that now. Even if I _was_ willing, Wakka and the others would never accept my help now."

Yuna remained silent, staring at the ground as Rikku knelt beside Tidus, inspecting his nose and bruised face, ignoring his protests. "Why are you trying to stop my pilgrimage?"

"Rikku asked me to," Tidus said. "She won't tell me why, but I owe her for saving my life, then again for going out of her way to get me accepted on the ship, even though she had no reason to. So I agreed to help."

"That's really it?" Yuna asked. "Just because she asked?"

"Well, yeah," Tidus said. "She's done more for me than anyone I've ever known, even my own family. So of course I'll help her."

"Drink this," Rikku said, handing him a potion. "And don't shout."

Before he could ask what she meant, she grabbed his nose and yanked, resetting it with a loud crack and a shout of pain. several Fiends roared in response.

"I told you not to shout!" Rikku snapped, slipping her claws on as Tidus drank his potion and stood with his sword.

Just as he did, several of the same odd, blade-legged creatures as Rikku had helped him fight when they first met landed around them all in a circle. Tidus, Rikku, and Paine formed a circle around Yuna instantly, Paine back in her normal outfit and with her sword again. When the Fiends charged, the three of them killed them quickly. However, as they fought, Tidus found himself defending Rikku almost as much as Yuna. She couldn't block their strikes, and they were fast enough to keep up with her natural speed and grace. However, defending both girls wasn't hard, and after a couple of minutes Tidus finished the last one, sighing and turning to the others.

"Everyone okay?" Tidus asked.

"Yep!" Rikku smiled. "Thanks for the help."

"Of course," Tidus smiled.

"No, I mean, with stopping Yuna too," Rikku said.

"Don't worry about it," Tidus smiled. "Like I said, you've done so much for me, so of course I'll help you whenever you need me."

Rikku smiled and nodded.

"Why didn't you tell him why you're trying to stop me?" Yuna asked. "You probably wouldn't have had to convince him of anything if you did."

"I figured it should be up to you," Rikku said.

"I see," Yuna nodded. "Alright. Go ahead. I'd like to hear your reasoning too."

"It's not because we support Sin or anything," Rikku said. "It's just...I don't want you to die."

"Die?" Tidus asked.

"The Final Summoning," Yuna said. "It's the only way to defeat Sin. But in doing so, the Summoner sacrifices their own life. The result is the Calm, a brief period of time during which Sin is gone."

"So there's no way to stop Sin besides that?" Tidus asked. "I know the outer shell is hard, and it has that barrier, but what if you could get inside? Sin must have a heart, right?"

"No one could survive that," Yuna said. "I'm sure someone has tried it at one time or another. Surely you're not the first person to think of it in a thousand years."

"Maybe," Tidus said. "Everyone but me is terrified to go near Sin because of his toxin, right?"

Yuna was silent before shaking her head. "I have to complete my pilgrimage. Please. You have to let me go."

"No you can't!" Rikku said. "I won't let you die! There has to be another way! I'll go into Sin myself if I have to!"

"No, I will," Tidus said. "If anyone's going to kill Sin and risk dying themselves to do it, it'll be me."

"Why you?" Rikku asked.

Tidus didn't answer. He couldn't tell them. Not yet. But it had to be him. It had to. No one else. Especially not Rikku. Besides, it was Tidus's father who had become Sin. He had to deal with him himself. It was a family matter now.

"So, what will you do with me?" Yuna asked. "Keep me locked up? Like a prisoner?"

"I...don't really know," Rikku said. "I hadn't thought that far ahead. I just...I really hoped you'd agree to stop."

"I won't stop," Yuna said. "So what now?"

Rikku sighed, sitting down on the rock Tidus had vacated to fight. Tidus was silent for several moments before walking over and kneeling in front of Rikku.

"You're not giving up, are you?" Tidus asked. "That easy?"

"What can we do?" Rikku asked. "She won't change her mind. And we can't force her."

"Come on, where's that cheerful Rikku I know?" Tidus asked.

"Sorry," Rikku sighed. "I don't feel very cheerful right now."

Tidus sighed, lowering his head as he thought. There had to be something. This couldn't be it. Not yet. Finally he sighed and stood, offering Rikku his hand. She looked up at him curiously for a moment before accepting his hand.

"What are you planning?" Rikku asked.

"We aren't giving up yet," Tidus said. "We're going to defeat Sin our way. And Yuna's going to help."

"What?" Yuna asked, blinking in surprise before looking over at them.

"We're going to take you to the temples you have to go to anyway," Tidus said. "We'll gather you all of your Aeons. All but the last. Instead of that, we'll use the other Aeons, and our own power, and any machina we can, and we'll take out Sin the hard way."

"So...you..._want_ me to complete my pilgrimage now?" Yuna asked.

"No," Tidus said. "I want you to recruit a huge group of super powerful spirit monsters to help us kill the ultimate spirit monster. Just consider us your new guardians while we build your private army. Then, we'll be your escorts while we try to find a way to get inside Sin to his heart, or core, or whatever he has."

"You mean…" Rikku trailed off, eyes widening as his plan settled in her brain before cheering and throwing her arms around him, squeezing him hard. "That's a great idea!"

"That's a stupid idea!" Yuna snapped. "Sin is a punishment given to us by Yevon! It doesn't have a core! And even if it did, Sin would just regenerate anyway! It wouldn't be any different, except that all of you would likely die as well! And we would probably fail!"

"Maybe," Tidus said. "But we won't know unless we try, will we?"

"I am not risking all of Spira just because you all want me to be selfish!" Yuna argued.

"What made you think you had a choice in this?" Tidus asked. "We kidnapped you, that makes you our prisoner."

"Oh?" Yuna asked, hands on her hips. "And if I use one of the Aeons I already possess to escape? Or what if, on the way to _any_ of the other temples, I tell someone you kidnapped me? And let's assume we get the Aeons without your plan falling apart. How would we reach Sin's core? A boat? And even if we _could_ get inside of Sin by boat, Sin would just destroy it. How would you stop that? How would you pacify Sin long enough to get inside of it? Sing to it?"

"I don't know!" Tidus said. "We'll figure it out! But either way, we're not letting you throw your li-"

Something burst out of the water, and as Tidus turned, a Blitzball crashed into his face, throwing him backward. He staggered to a stop just as Auron sent Paine's sword spinning across the room, then slammed the back of his blade into her shoulder, dropping her. Yuna sprinted over to Wakka just as Kimahri drove the spearhead at the tip of his halberd into Rikku's abdomen.

"Rikku!" Tidus shouted, sprinting forward, only to catch her as Kimahri threw her to him, then walked back to the water where Auron and the others were waiting.

"I'm taking this back!" Wakka said, holding up the sword he had given Tidus. "You don't deserve to have Chappu's sword!"

"We were only trying to-"

Wakka kicked his Blitzball into Tidus's face again, then caught it and turned, following the other three into the water. Tidus turned back to Rikku, gritting his teeth and pressing his hands to her abdomen. She shouted in pain, and raised a hand, pointing at the machina.

"Po...tion..." she said, voice frail and weak.

Tidus swallowed hard and turned, running to the machina and jumping in, looking around and spotting a bottle, grabbing it and returning to her, opening the bottle and helping her drink it. Her wound hissed and began to shrink, but it didn't heal fully. He quickly pulled his jacket off, pressing it against her abdomen. After a moment, however, Paine shoved him aside, throwing his jacket at him before a seal formed over her and dropped, leaving her in a white jacket, white pants, white boots, and a staff in her white-gloved hand. The staff shone, and after a moment, Rikku shone as well, her wound sealing completely in moments. Rikku gasped for breath, sitting up and staring at her abdomen before sighing.

"Thank you," Rikku smiled. "How do you keep changing your outfit like that?"

Paine held up several spheres. "They're called dresspheres. They give me unique outfits and abilities. I can loan you a few if you want."

Rikku smiled and shook her head. "They're cool, but I'm okay." She looked up at Tidus and frowned sadly. "Yuna got away, didn't she?"

"I'm sorry," Tidus said. "I couldn't let you die."

Rikku shook her head. "Thank you for helping me. We have to get her back. We have to stop her before she can use the Final Summoning."

Tidus nodded. "Let's head back to the ship. We can try to head her off at the next temple."

Rikku nodded and Tidus helped her up and over to the machina. Then, he and Paine held on and Rikku piloted the machina back into the water and toward the ship again.

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	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Final Fantasy X or any of the characters.

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Thunder Planes

Tidus sighed as he followed Rikku along the path. They had decided, or rather been ordered, to travel by land to the next temple, the Macalania Temple, which meant crossing some place called the Thunder Planes, then traveling through Macalania Woods, and lastly across Lake Macalania, which Rikku claimed was frozen currently. So far, they were only just now nearing the Guadosalam, which they'd have to pass through to reach the Thunder Planes. Paine was moody and silent, as usual, and Rikku wasn't as talkative as usual. She'd been quiet since they failed in their attempt to capture Yuna.

"Are you alright?" Tidus asked, walking alongside Rikku.

"I'm alright," Rikku nodded. "I'm just a bit bummed we failed."

Tidus nodded. "That's understandable. But, you seem so down. Are you sure that's it? I hate seeing you this way. I miss seeing you smile."

A small smile began to creep onto her face.

"Uh oh, I think I see one," Tidus grinned, Rikku's smile growing wider instantly as she rolled her eyes. "There it is. Much better. You're much prettier when you're smiling."

Rikku blushed slightly and shoved him playfully. After a few more minutes, they reached Guadosalam and Paine turned, walking away, Rikku and Tidus following. After a few minutes, they reached a long staircase ending at a huge, rounded wall with a circular opening with some kind of barrier over it at the top of the stairs. Paine walked up the stairs instantly, but Rikku stopped at a flat portion partway down.

"Where is this?" Tidus asked.

"The Farplane," Rikku said. "It's where the spirits go. Or, well, sort of. This place is more like a fake version. The pyreflies inside sense the memories of those people have lost and form a sort of illusion of them."

"Do the illusions talk?" Tidus asked.

"I don't think so," Rikku said. "But a lot of people come here to talk to their lost loved ones for closure. I'm going to wait out here, though. I keep my memories inside."

"I see," Tidus nodded. "I...I kind of want to see what it's like."

"Alright," Rikku nodded. "I'll see you in a bit, then."

Tidus nodded and followed Paine up the stairs. He stepped through the barrier and continued up the stairs to a platform at the top and stopped, finding Paine waiting.

"I'm not talking about anyone who shows up, and you're not going to either," Paine warned. "Clear?"

"Sure," Tidus nodded. "I get it. It's personal."

Paine nodded and walked away. Tidus walked to the edge of the platform and looked out at the clouds surrounding the platform. Slowly, they began to clear and revealed a beautiful landscape of millions of flowers, pyreflies, a rounded waterfall pit, pillars of water in the distance, a beach. It looked amazing. He felt the creeping chill of loss start to invade his chest. His mother probably would have loved to see it. And suddenly, she was there, hovering in front of him. She was transparent, though, and she stared through him. Not that she had ever really seen him. He sighed bitterly.

"Is that your mother?" Rikku's voice asked, Tidus jumping and looking over at her.

"Yeah," Tidus nodded. "I thought you weren't coming in."

"I...changed my mind," Rikku said. "What was she like?"

Tidus was silent for a while as one of the many memories of his parents together, and his mother ignoring him in favor of his father, played through his head. "She was..." He shook his head. He wasn't sure what to say. "I loved her. And, I'm sure some part of her loved me too. But...when my father was around, she wouldn't even look at me. When he disappeared...she just...lost her energy. She gave up. Someone once told me that when a lovebird dies, its partner gives up the will to live so they can be together again in death. It was like that. I've always hated my father because...I always felt like he was trying to take her away, like it was his fault my mother ignored me. But really...he was always telling her to pay attention to me. I always resented him for something that was never his fault."

Rikku wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," Tidus said. "Whenever I get home, at least I'm not a..."

He trailed off, staring at the sea of people before him. He recognized a few of the faces. A kid who had wanted him to autograph his Blitzball. A girl he had gone on a miserably, pathetically failed date with. An old lady who owned a small corner store he frequented. They were Zanarkand. All of the people he had known. They were gone. Images of the day Sin had attacked his home filtered into his brain. He hadn't thought about that. About the destruction he had witnessed. So much destruction. So much death. Somehow, he had never considered that when he had made plans to go home. He had never considered the possibility that, even if he _could_ get home, there wouldn't be a home to go back to. It was all gone. Even if he went home, it'd be just as much a ruin now as the Zanarkand everyone in Spira said theirs was.

Tidus's legs grew weak and Rikku lowered him to his knees as he stared at the people. "They're...gone. It's all gone. My home..."

Rikku squeezed him tighter. "I'm sorry. But, that isn't your home anymore. You have a new home."

"Where?" Tidus asked, voice cracking pathetically.

"With me," Rikku said, pulling back so she could see his face. "Your new home is with me. Home is wherever your friends who care about you are."

Tidus is silent for a while before nodding and standing. "Thank you."

Rikku nodded and followed Tidus out of the Farplane. They waited in silence outside until Paine joined them. Paine nodded and they left, heading toward the path to the Thunder Planes. However, on the way, Tidus stopped by a weapon shop for a new sword. What he found, was the same type of sword Auron had given him, claiming it was a gift from Jecht. Tidus walked outside and Rikku cocked her head to the side.

"That's like the sword you had when we first met," Rikku said.

"Yeah," Tidus nodded. "Auron said that one was from my father. I guess he must have bought it for me here in Spira."

Rikku nodded. "You need anything else?"

"No, that's it," Tidus said. "Let's get going."

Rikku and Pain nodded and they left Guadosalam for the Thunder Planes. As soon as they stepped out of the tunnel into the Thunder Planes, however, lightning flashed and thunder cracked. Rikku screamed, dropping to the ground and covering her head instantly.

"Are you alright?" Tidus asked worriedly.

"Uh...I think I left something in Guadosalam," Rikku said, suddenly pale.

Tidus glanced up at the sky, then back at her before holding out his hand. "Give me your hand."

Rikku swallowed hard and nodded, placing her hand in his and standing. Lightning flashed instantly and she flinched but didn't scream or cower again.

"We'll go from lightning tower to lightning tower," Tidus said, watching the towers draw in any lightning near them. "We'll be safe there. And if there are any fiends that get into our way, Paine and I can handle it. You just worry about staying near the towers, alright?"

Rikku nodded shakily and Tidus turned back to the front. He could see Fiends ahead of them. wolf-like ones, bat-like ones, chunks of floating, blue stone, flans. However, they were all a ways away, and past two of the towers. He nodded to himself just before lightning struck the nearest tower. Tidus started forward, bringing Rikku with him at a fast jog and Paine brought up the rear. After a few moments, they reached the tower just as lightning struck it above them with a deafening crack and a shriek from Rikku, who clung to Tidus's arm. Tidus held a chuckle in and waited a couple of minutes for Rikku's grip to slowly relax before heading for the next tower. As they reached this one, several floating green goblin-like creatures with orange tag-like objects floating around them started toward them.

Tidus took his arm beck from Rikku and switched his sword to his right hand before charging with Paine. Lightning flashed, striking the ground in front of Tidus and he dodged to the side as one of the creatures raised its hands. He dove forward into a roll just as it swung its arms, a Thunder spell blasting the ground where he had been. He rolled to his feet and jumped off of a rock, slashing one of the creatures, barely able to reach it, just as Pain shifted dresspheres into an outfit with a half skirt on her left side, black pants and a black jacket, and a pair of black machina weapons that looked like one-handed versions of the long pipes the Al Bhed Tidus had seen had, except sleeker and fancy. She opened fire one of the creatures, small metal projectiles bursting out of the creature's back in small sprays of blood. The last creature streaked past them, headed directly for Rikku, who was staring up at a lightning bolt, which was hitting the tower constantly, in terror. Tidus hurled his sword and it spun through the air, stabbing into the creature's back and killing it. He ran after his sword, pulling it free of the ground and slowing to a stop beside Rikku just as the lightning bolt above them ended.

"Are you alright?" Tidus asked.

"Can we go back?" Rikku asked.

"Sorry," he smiled, offering her his free hand. "We'll make it quick. Promise."

Rikku nodded, accepting his hand and they both ran to the next tower where Paine was waiting, still in her ranged outfit. They stayed there until the next lightning strike, then continued. As they ran, several wolf-like Fiends moved to intercept them and Tidus released Rikku's hand just as lightning struck just behind them. She screamed, looking around, eyes wide with terror.

"Keep running!" Tidus called, moving to meet the Fiends, killing two instantly.

A third leapt at him, only for Paine to step past him, splitting it with her sword before shifting back to her ranged form in the blink of an eye. As she was shooting at something off to the side that he wasn't paying attention to, two wolves charged at her, only for him to block one's jaws with his shield, slashing the other downward. The first lashed out with its claws, tearing claw marks into his side and making him grunt in pain before stabbing it in the neck, down through the heart. He wrenched his sword back out and turned, slashing another just as a pile of rocks off to the side stood, the sides breaking outward and becoming fat, shield-like arms on a hunch-backed Fiend. Tidus slashed at it but his sword sparked off of its stone body.

"Shit!" he swore just before the Fiend slammed an arm into him, its tiny, waist-high body somehow producing enough force to throw him backward.

Paine spun, a seal dropping over her and leaving her in samurai armor with a red-bladed katana with a skull at the base of the blade in her hand. She slashed and her sword split the creature as easy as if it had been just some other Fiend. Tidus groaned, standing and grabbing his sword off the ground before he and Paine jogged over to Rikku, Tidus sighing and leaning against the tower, rubbing his chest, which would probably have a nice bruise.

"Are you alright?" Rikku asked worriedly.

"I'm alright," Tidus nodded. "Wasn't expecting so many Fiends, though."

"This is one of the most dangerous sections of the Summoners' Pilgrimage," Rikku said. "Do you wat a potion?"

"I'll be alright," Tidus said. "I'll have one once we find a place to rest. Are you okay to keep going? With the amount of Fiends they'd have to fight, we might be able to catch up with them if we hurry."

Rikku's eyes lit up and she nodded, only to shriek and flinch as a particularly loud crack rang out above them. Tidus chuckled, again taking her hand before they all ran away from the tower. As they ran to the next tower, a handful of giant hornets tried to attack them, only for Paine to shoot them, and then a pair of flans rounded the tower at them. In a flash, Tidus had sped forward at one flan while Paine, now wearing a dark blue hat and chaps, black pants under them, and a top with red straps around her midriff, blue shoulders, and loose black sleeves. Her breasts were covered by a black tube top, and as soon as she had changed into the outfit, she swung a staff with a huge orb on the top end, a bolt of lightning flashing out of the sky and hitting one of the flans, exploding. The flan fell flat and faded as Tidus flipped over his slashing it, then slashed it across the side and front as it turned after him and he passed it in the other direction. He spun as soon as he was behind it again, only for a blast of blue goo to shoot out of its back into his chest and hurl him backward, then, Paine blasted the flan, killing it as well. Rikku helped Tidus up and he sighed.

"I hate flans," Tidus grumbled.

"Looks like we're clear for a but," Paine said. "There's a fork up ahead."

"Alright Rikku," Tidus said. "Right or left?"

"I don't care," Rikku said. "Let's just hurry."

Tidus nodded and looked around. Aside from the tower they were under, there didn't seem to be any lightning striking ahead of them. They all started out, walking quickly but not running. Rikku clung to Tidus's arm in fear as they walked, but as they reached the fork, lightning struck to the left, a few meters at best away, Rikku screaming and dropping to the ground again, covering her head. Just as she reached the ground, another bolt struck behind them, even loser than the last, and Rikku grabbed his leg, as though doing so would protect her. A moment later, still within ten seconds of the first strike, another bolt hit in front of them, then another to the left again. Rikku was sobbing and clinging to him as the lightning finally stopped, and he knelt, prying her off of his leg, only for her to glue herself to his chest instead. He sighed, standing and bringing her with him, his arms around her.

"We need to stop for a bit," Tidus said.

"It's not going to stop," Paine said.

"I know," Tidus said. "But Rikku needs a break somewhere the lightning isn't visible."

"Paine looked around, eyes stopping on the small building he had seen, which was built at the base of a lightning tower. She nodded and they headed for the building. As they opened the door, a muscular, blonde man with a yellow jacket turned to them, smiling warmly. He spoke in Al Bhed, and Tidus's brow furrowed.

"Sorry," Tidus said. "I'm still learning."

"I'm sorry," the man said. "I mean to say 'Pleasure to meet you,' but it came out in Al Bhed."

"I see," Tidus nodded. "Pleasure to meet you too. Sorry for intruding," Tidus said. "My friend needed to get out of the storm for a bit."

Rin looked to Rikku and his eyes widened. "Ah, you are Al Bhed."

Rikku nodded.

"You are welcome," Rin smiled, spreading his arms invitingly. "Stay as long as you like."

"Would we have been welcome if she _wasn't_ Al Bhed?" Paine asked.

"Of course," Rin nodded. "Business is business no matter what color your eyes are."

Paine huffed and walked through the door labelled "Rooms." Tidus sighed and followed, bringing Rikku with him, since she still hadn't released him, and flinched anytime lightning flashed outside. After a few minutes, Tidus walked into one of the rooms and looked down at Rikku, who had her face buried in his chest after one particularly loud thunderclap.

"This room good enough for you?" Tidus asked.

She nodded without even looking and he chuckled, pulling her off of himself. "Hey!"

"You're alright Rikku," Tidus said. "You're safe in here."

Rikku nodded hesitantly and Tidus sighed.

"I'm going to go find a room," Tidus said. "I'll be back to check on you in a bit, alright?"

Rikku nodded, but just as Tidus turned, there was a flash of lightning and a wave of rain crashed into the window on the front of a strong gust of wind. Rikku shrieked and her arms locked around him. Tidus could feel her trembling against his back and sighed silently. She really needed to get out of the Thunder Planes.

"Please don't leave me!" Rikku whimpered suddenly, Tidus blinking in surprise before turning his head in an attempt to look back at her. "Please. I'm scared!"

Tidus swallowed hard and nodded, though she couldn't see it, crying into his back. "Okay. If you want me to stay, I will."

Rikku nodded against his back and loosened her grip, allowing him to turn around again before she tightened her hold again. He wrapped his arms around her, stroking her back comfortingly as they stood there for a while before he guided her to bed and lifted the covers. She climbed under them and pulled him with her, curling herself into his chest and he sighed, wrapping his arms around her.

"Try and get some rest," he said, gently stroking her back again. "Tomorrow, we'll be out of the Thunder Planes by lunch."

Rikku nodded and sniffed, curling tighter into him as lightning flashed again. Then, she lay there, trembling and silently crying as he comforted her, both pretending she would be able to sleep at some point.

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